Silenced

“I’ve debated with myself whether to call ever since I heard that Alan’s mistress was murdered.”

Noah was certainly curious, but he couldn’t imagine what Paxton had to say. “I can’t discuss the investigation with you. I thought you wanted to talk about Chris Taylor.”

“I did want to inquire about the status of your investigation, but when Detective Reid came by this morning with Lucy, I was under the impression that it was a Metro Police investigation, not federal.”

“We’re working with them.” Stockton hadn’t officially released the information that the FBI had taken over the case. That situation was still being smoothed over with DC Metro, as best as could be done under the circumstances.

“I’m not proud of my actions, but I don’t regret them. Unless what I did led to that poor girl’s death.”

The hair on Noah’s skin vibrated with energy. It was the same feeling he’d had in the Air Force when he sensed something was amiss. Noah homed in on Paxton’s carefully chosen words.

What I did led to the poor girl’s death.

“Explain.”

“It’s no secret Alan and I don’t get along. Frankly, I think he’s a pig. Everyone in the building knows he’s cheated on his wife. And most everyone looks the other way. It’s like infidelity is a misdemeanor. But if someone can’t respect his marital vows, how can he respect promises to his constituents? If he can lie to his wife, it must be that much easier to lie to the American people.”

“Senator, I’m not interested in a campaign speech.”

Paxton’s cheek twitched with irritation.

“I was the anonymous source who gave the pictures of Alan and Ms. James to the tabloid.”

The confession surprised Noah. He had to pause before he could ask a question without stammering.

“You told the press about the affair?”

Paxton waved his hand in the air as if swatting a fly. “The press already knew. But they didn’t have proof. It’s sad that to run with the story, they wanted sordid photographs.”

“Which you provided.”

“I did.”

“I have a hard time believing you followed Congressman Crowley.”

“I didn’t. I hired a professional. Don’t be so skeptical, Agent Armstrong. Husbands and wives do it to each other all the time. If Janet Crowley had hired a private investigator to get photos of her husband’s infidelity in order to divorce that bastard, no one would think twice.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Why do you think?”

Noah didn’t answer the question. He stared at Paxton until he answered.

“Alan’s a prick.”

“He’s in your political party.”

Paxton laughed heartily, then cleared his throat. “After California went through their redistricting, Alan was gerrymandered into a much different seat, one that would be far more outraged about his infidelity. I have a protege who can defeat him in the primary, but it would be costly. I would much rather have him resign over the affair.”

“You did this as a campaign stunt?”

“Stunt? Hardly the right word. I did it because he’s a jerk. He’s talking about running for U.S. Senate and I don’t want him on my side of the building.”

“And you don’t feel an ounce of remorse for what happened to Wendy James?”

“If she was killed because I exposed the truth, I sincerely regret it. But however much I despise Alan Crowley, however much I want him to be guilty, he’s not a killer, or a rapist.”

“She wasn’t raped.”

Paxton said, “The press reported there was an attempted rape.”

“The press isn’t always right.”

Paxton visibly relaxed. “Good.”

“Good?”

“It’s tragic she was killed. She was a young, beautiful woman with her whole life ahead of her, regardless of the mistakes she made. But to be raped and then murdered is the most vile crime that can be committed on a woman. There’s a special place in Hell for men like that.”

Noah hoped there was a special place in Hell for puppeteers like Paxton. He wished there was some way he could officially bring Paxton in for questioning. He could probably think of something-withholding information from the FBI for one, because he suspected there was more to this story than Paxton had told-but his actions would be out of spite.

The truth was hard to argue against.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sean stepped out of the closet. He didn’t know how he felt about what he had just heard. He understood Paxton’s motives-he’d done similar things, exposing people who deserved it while keeping his own hands clean. He’d learned the hard way that gloating could get him in trouble.

He didn’t want to like Paxton. He didn’t like Paxton. But he understood him.

What he didn’t understand was how Paxton could hurt Lucy. She would be devastated if she found out that Paxton had pulled strings to get her into the FBI Academy. And if he was determined to be corrupt, her career would be tainted. If that note she allegedly wrote came out, the media, or the FBI, could make it sound like anything they wanted. Even if it was innocuous, they could make it appear like she was keeping Paxton’s secret-accessory after the fact-so that she could get his help. She had made it very well known that all she wanted was to be an FBI agent. The people in charge could even make it look like Paxton got her in so he could have his own bought-and-paid-for agent.

“Now do you understand?”

Sean had been trying to put together the information Paxton had given him earlier with what he said to Noah. “What do the note and locket have to do with exposing Crowley?”

“It has everything to do with it. The locket disappeared after I turned over the photographs to the press.”

“Coincidence?”

“No. I was threatened. If I didn’t back off, the caller would expose the secrets of the locket. The thing is, there are no secrets. It belonged to my daughter. It’s all I have left of her. I want it back. But if they know about Morton-if that’s what they meant about ‘secret,’ then I can’t risk exposure.”

“But you killed him,” Sean said matter-of-factly.

“Lucy will be irreparably damaged as well. I’m not willing to take the risk. Are you?”

“You bastard. You’ve dirtied her entire career.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic, Rogan. I’m going to set things right. I always do.” He almost sounded pained, but Paxton was a politician and a liar. He didn’t care about what happened to Lucy.

“Who else knows about the note?”

“No one. At least, no one knows Lucy wrote the message. But several people know she had the locket. Noah Armstrong gave her Adam Scott’s box and told her to make the decision about whether his victims’ families would want the items back. She worked with the FBI to locate the families and wrote them letters.”

Sean hadn’t known. Six months ago, he and Lucy had just started seeing each other. He shouldn’t be hurt she hadn’t included him, but he was. The experience must have been extremely painful and difficult for her, in light of the fact Adam Scott had kidnapped, raped, and nearly killed her. Yet she worked with Noah on it.

Sean didn’t want to help Senator Paxton, but did he really have a choice? Even if the note could never be linked to her, Paxton’s unspoken threat to reveal that he’d pulled strings to get Lucy into the Academy hit home.

“Whoever took the locket has access to your office,” Sean said.